We’re aware of a number of emails going round at the moment which claim to be from Jagex, but are actually being sent from malicious individuals trying to steal accounts. To help keep your accounts safe, we thought that it was time to remind you of the importance of password and account security.

The reality is, passwords are a pain. With all the requirements needed to set a password now – capital letters, numbers, symbols, minimum character limits - they are becoming harder to remember. Using the same password for multiple accounts might seem to be a natural and easy solution to forgotten passwords.

The problem with this solution is that passwords become weaker each time they're used. Imagine if the same password was used for your email, social networking and RuneScape accounts. Now, imagine a bunch of pesky hackers have leaked the password database for your email provider. Your email account would be compromised, but your RuneScape account would also be at risk.

So, what should you do? Using the same password is out, how are you going to remember and create a unique password for each account? One solution is to use a memorable phrase which is then tailored to each service you sign up for.

Please note: below is an example of how you might formulate a complex, abstract password. Needless to say, you should not use this password.

For example, consider a few lines from a common nursery rhyme:

Georgie Porgie

Pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry.

By simply retaining the first letters of the words, we can create an easy to remember password: GPPapKtgamtc. We could also mix it up even further by substituting letters for symbols and numbers, like so: GPP+pKtg&3tc.

Picking a phrase that is memorable and personal to you is probably the hardest part, but once you have got one, creating a strong password should be easy.

If you've reused passwords before (we’ve all done it at some point), try using the solution mentioned in this post to create complex but easy-to-remember passwords.

Don’t forget that there are also a number of security features which you can use to safeguard your RuneScape account even further. Find out what Jagex Account Guardian (JAG) and Bank PINs can do for you.